January 29th, 8:00 a.m.
Lucas, who had slept straight through until now, felt zero empathy for Dragonite's night of suffering.
He had slept wonderfully, lulled by the gentle rain that had begun falling sometime during the night.
Only two days remained until the end of January. Lucas planned to finish inspecting the Dragonite island with the giant Dragonite today, then head straight back to the farm.
Naranja Academy would reopen soon after spring break.
Although Nemona, Shizuka, and Paul had applied for extracurricular treasure-hunting and didn't need to return for opening day, Penny, Arven, Eri, and the others had grown accustomed to self-training and only called when they needed help.
Still, Lucas had to go back.
It wasn't about whether Geeta could approve leave. The real reason was that the transfer paperwork from Blueberry Academy in Unova had finally cleared. Carmine and Kieran would soon arrive at Naranja Academy—and they would almost certainly be placed under Lucas's supervision. He needed to be there to greet them.
"Two rounds as a firefighter and I still got to experience some of Hoenn's unique scenery. Not a bad deal overall."
Sighing, he finished packing and walked down to the beach.
Lugia stood with wings folded, watching Comfey apply a double dose of Floral Healing and Aromatherapy to the exhausted Dragonite sprawled on the sand.
The pleasant floral scent seemed to improve even Lugia's mood—perhaps because Dragonite had barely inherited its mantle.
Sensing Lucas's approach, Lugia looked up.
"Awake?"
"Awake."
Lucas nodded, then glanced at Lugia—who showed no trace of fatigue—and inwardly marveled.
As expected of a legendary that could sleep for decades or centuries without being disturbed. An entire night of intense training was nothing to it.
Dragonite, on the other hand, looked physically destroyed.
Lugia raised a wing like raising a hand.
"It barely met the conditions. Under my guidance it finally managed one decent Aeroblast just before dawn."
Pride and satisfaction colored its normally steady expression.
Lucas's eyelids twitched. He was speechless.
Yet inside, his heart surged.
Just like that?
No trials, no "leave with a legendary to train" arc.
He had simply taken a nap, and Dragonite had learned Lugia's signature Flying-type ultimate move—Aeroblast?
It really was a pie falling from the sky… or rather, the result of Dragonite's daily discipline and his own excellent teaching.
Seeing Lucas suddenly grinning like an idiot, both Lugia and the aching Dragonite sprouted question marks above their heads.
Partings always arrived without warning.
Because the giant Dragonite's destination lay in the opposite direction from the Orange Archipelago where Lugia was heading, the brief alliance and the selfless teaching session came to an end.
Lugia bid farewell and dove into the sea.
Lucas still couldn't decipher the complex emotion in its eyes at the moment of departure.
Reluctance?
Since he couldn't figure it out, he chose not to dwell on it. If fate allowed, they would meet again.
He quickly packed the tent and camping gear, counted his Pokémon, and confirmed everyone was present.
Dragonite needed recovery time, so Lucas returned it to its Poké Ball and once again rode Moltres.
Before departing, he checked his two tangible souvenirs from Hoenn: the Pokémon Egg entrusted by the old lady in Lavaridge Town was healthy, and the Mysterious Crystal—safely boxed—looked exactly as it had when he received it.
Everything ready, Lucas mounted Moltres.
Terapagos poked its head out of the chest pouch.
The Delibird—now accustomed to traveling outside—perched in front of him.
Victini clung to his shoulder.
Moltres gave a resigned glance at the three extra passengers, then flapped its blazing wings and followed the two massive figures ahead.
The mysterious dense fog clung to the giant Dragonite like a second skin. Thanks to it, their journey remained relatively smooth.
Aboard Moltres, Lucas checked their heading with a compass, expression growing strange.
This direction… didn't look anything like the Kanto sea route.
In the known timeline, when Ash and a certain unspeakable character were shipwrecked, they had departed from Vermilion City, encountered disaster, and been rescued by a passing Dragonite that brought them to Dragonite Island.
That island should lie somewhere in Kanto waters—perhaps extending slightly into Johto.
But the giant Dragonite was leading them in the opposite direction—closer to Paldea, or possibly Galar.
Lucas rubbed his eyes and stared ahead, lips parting slightly.
So the "Dragonites' island" the giant one wanted to show him was probably an entirely different island?
That made things far more interesting.
As they traveled, the number of islands visible through the thinning mist grew fewer. They crossed multiple unnamed sea regions. The vegetation on passing islands and the species of water- and flying-type Pokémon all changed.
On small islands fringed with fine white sand, Mareanie and Toxapex occasionally wandered the shoreline. Schools of Wishiwashi glided past, and timid little bug Pokémon hid in the sand. Without Pyukumuku present, the climate had clearly left the tropics behind.
This was definitely not near Alola.
"Indeed… we're in the waters near Galar, bordering Kalos. Beyond both lies Paldea's sea."
With no satellite maps and weak signals, Lucas could only judge by visible ecology and climate.
Along the way he also asked the giant Tentacruel why it had chosen to follow.
Surely it wasn't just because it had made friends with the giant Dragonite and didn't want to separate?
The giant Tentacruel no longer looked at him with open disdain or hostility. After the battle it had come to respect Lucas.
But the question was a mistake.
Its black face visibly flushed with embarrassment. It waved its tentacles furiously, driving Lucas and Moltres aside until the giant Dragonite intervened. Only then did it grudgingly explain through the telepathy link.
It knew perfectly well that its attack on the city remained a thorn between itself and the Kanto League. Although a temporary peace treaty existed, conflict was inevitable someday.
Rather than face humanity's unpredictable technological weapons, it preferred to lead its kin to a sea where humans rarely ventured—somewhere they could settle, reproduce, and live without fear.
The place the giant Dragonite was taking Lucas to was ideal for that purpose.
"And more importantly… it's also a place where the giant Dragonite sometimes rests while searching for companions?"
Lucas couldn't resist a teasing grin while repeating the giant Tentacruel's awkwardly phrased final words.
The response was an embarrassed, angry tentacle swipe—though the giant Tentacruel was careful not to actually crush the tiny human.
At least now Lucas understood: the giant Tentacruel had volunteered to scout ahead, checking water quality and resources.
They traveled from morning until the fierce afternoon sun finally pierced the dense fog and spilled across the sea.
Through the haze, the outline of a sizable island finally appeared.
Terapagos chirped excitedly. The Delibird took flight and patted the drowsy Victini awake.
"Roar~"
The giant Dragonite's long, resonant cry announced that their destination had arrived.
The giant Tentacruel waved a tentacle—signaling it would explore the nearby waters first—then silently submerged.
On the distant island, the giant Dragonite's roar had already drawn several black specks into the sky. They rapidly approached.
Moments later their forms became clear: orange-yellow scales, soft cream-colored bellies, and big, innocent eyes.
They were all wild Dragonite.
On the vast white beach, as Moltres landed, Lucas finally set foot on solid ground.
From above, the island was enormous—an endless expanse of vibrant green forest. Discovering such a paradise so far from human civilization had shocked Lucas for several seconds when he first saw it from the air.
But even more striking was the group of curious Dragonite now surrounding him and Moltres.
The fog had dispersed. Sunlight gilded the white sand.
Roughly a dozen Dragonite with friendly, chubby faces tilted their heads, studying the newcomers.
This was only the first wave. More Dragonite continued arriving from deeper inland, accompanied by several elegant Haxorus—actually Dragonair—with bright scales and small wing-like structures on their heads that resembled white angel wings.
Except for the protected Dratini, it seemed nearly every Dragonite and Dragonair on the island had come to investigate.
This really was a Dragonite clan habitat!
Lucas felt the truth settle in his bones.
The Dragonite and Dragonair circled him curiously, examining the rare two-legged creature.
Terapagos timidly retracted its head—friendly faces or not, the sheer number was intimidating.
Victini, boldest of all, had already flown up to attempt communication with one of the Dragonite.
Moltres, meanwhile, squatted on the sand like a mother hen, calmly preening its wind-ruffled feathers. It showed zero interest in the crowd.
"Bo wu?"
"Bo wu!"
"Bo wu~"
Dragonite cries filled the air. They were clearly conversing, but without Moltres translating, Lucas understood nothing.
He suddenly felt more like the exotic specimen being observed than a visitor.
After a while the Dragonite exchanged glances, then took the Dragonair and lifted off, circling above the giant Dragonite (whose lower body remained in the water) as though welcoming it home.
Lucas nodded to himself.
No wonder the giant Dragonite had shown little interest in his own Dragonite back then. It already had an entire clan—Dragonite, Dragonair, even Dratini—gathered around it.
This island was probably connected to the giant Dragonite as well.
The thought didn't stop him from acting. He released his own Dragonite from its Poké Ball.
"Bo wu?"
Dragonite let out a soft cry, antennae twitching as it curiously examined its surroundings.
Strangely, it felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity and closeness to this island.
Before Lucas could encourage it to go make friends, a sharp, domineering roar erupted from deeper within the island.
Compared to the soft cries of the other Dragonite, this voice shook the leaves on every tree.
Seconds later a figure descended from the sky in a dramatic cloud of sand.
When the dust settled, a dark-green silhouette became visible.
Lucas's eyes widened in shock.
"I— what the—?"
The moment he recognized it, his voice cracked with disbelief.
"Shiny… Dragonite?"
The Shiny Dragonite turned its head.
Its gaze was anything but friendly.
It was looking down its nostrils at him.